By Shaenon K. Garrity

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All the illustrations for Jeff’s Very Long Fanfic are based on illustrations for the Oz books, even the disturbing image above of hands (okay, in my version, paws) penetrating some viscous substance. There’s probably some thematic confluence between my arbitrary decision to illustrate Jeff’s fanfic with Oz pictures and my later, equally arbitrary decision to cowrite a strongly Oz-influenced webstrip with him, but it wasn’t intentional. These things just happen. Also, Skin Horse is based on things other than the Oz books; it’s just that the Oz stuff is all anyone notices.

Artie adjusting his tiny goggles is absolutely adorable. I’m sure I drew that just for Jeff’s entertainment, because there’s nothing he loves more than animals in either hats or goggles. Or possibly both.

This installment has an alt-tag dedication to Anton van Leeuwenhoek, inventor of the microscope, because it originally ran on his birthday.

I don’t know why, but the picture of Artie adjusting his goggles makes me think of the old 1960’s “Jonny Quest” cartoons. I can just picture Artie as Dr. Benton Quest, giving a long technobabble explanation just before blowing something up.